Microsoft Sued Over Windows Phone Tracking

Microsoft is facing yet another lawsuit, this time by someone who claims Microsoft is tracking Windows Phone users without consent. According to the plaintiff, Rebecca Cousineau, Microsoft raced to develop its targeted location-based advertising system by collecting information from Windows Phone users, rather than collecting the information the “hard and expensive way.”

“Microsoft’s scheme is executed through its camera application, which comes standard with a mobile device running the Windows Phone OS,” the complaint states.

The lawsuit states that Microsoft was supposed to map the locations of cell towers, wireles routers, mobile phones, and computers but decided to go the easy route by simply tracking Windows Phone users.

The complain also states that Microsoft does ask the user for permission to use the current location data when the camera app is loaded for the first time, but Microsoft ignores the user’s choice whether or not the user consented.

“Microsoft brazenly continues to collect users’ location information, regardless of whether or not the individual chooses ‘cancel’ so as to not allow such information to be tracked. Thus, Microsoft surreptitiously forces even unwilling users into its non-stop geo-tracking program in the interest of developing its digital marketing grid,” the complaint further states.